LomoGuru of the Week: Antibiotyx

People travel to see the world and experience various cultures. They explore corners, meet different people, and see several sites that may or may not attract them.

These are all given once you go in transit for these are the things you definitely have to try. All of these have been done by this LomoGuru but he’s no ordinary traveler, for in his locations, he has a Lomography camera in hand and a mission to capture sceneries and meet Lomographers he has interacted with in our Community!

And in these occurences, he has captured tons of beautiful Lomographs, has met Lomographers, and has learned photography the analogue way. Now, don’t you just think he deserves to be a LomoGuru? Because he definitely is! Cheers to antibiotyx! Enjoy and be inspired in this interview we had with him! :)

Name: Sherwin Altarez MapanooLomography Username:antibiotyxLocation: Originally from the Philippines, currently in Belgrade, SerbiaNumber of years as a Lomographer: 3 years Number of years in the Community: 3 years (I joined in February 2010.)

Tell us something about your LomoHome’s name…

I’ve been using this username for a long time, even before joining Lomography. I used to maintain a blog and came up with this pseudonym during the time I was experiencing a great deal of depression and melancholia, which I eventually overcame. I won’t be elaborating on this; I’m perfectly fine now. I try to enjoy my life to the fullest and Lomography is one of my outlets to capture memories and express myself creatively, without being too cerebral. Shooting films is such a powerful drug and I ended up getting addicted to it!

Share to us your most memorable experience in the Lomographic Community.

I’ve had tons of memorable experiences so it’s really hard to choose one. But I would have to say my lLmographic “firsts” are the memorable ones. When I was a newbie in this Community, I was so elated when I visited the Lomography Embassy Store in Hongkong in May 2010 and received the “LomoHome of the Day” award a month later. My first out-of-the-country LomoWalk with Lomographers from Bandung, Indonesia is another one. It was such a fun experience! I also had my first international film doubles with novakmisi from Serbia (I’m planning to meet him in June!) and triples with dakadev_pui and lawypop, and the results were epic.

Antibiotyx’s triples with lawypop and dakadev_pui, doubles with stonerfairy, and doubles with atria007.

Have you actually met people in the Community that you now consider as close friends?

Yes, a lot of them! I was privileged enough to have met many LomoGurus in this Community, mostly from Southeast Asia and a few from Europe, who I still I get in touch with every now and then. Whenever I travel to a different country, I make it a point to meet fellow Lomographers who happen to be the nicest, warmest, and friendliest people on Earth.

I went on a backpacking trip to Indonesia with imnotgic and part of our itinerary was visiting Bandung. There I met adi_totp, panjihardjakaprabon, kuryzu, and ngoki. They were kind enough to take us to many good attractions around the city. I have also met dakadev_pui when I visited Bangkok. The meet-up was purely accidental. There was a massive flooding at that time and we weren’t supposed to see each other, but he surprisingly showed up at the Gallery Store. It was nice seeing him and I gave him a roll for doubles.

In Singapore, my Lomo friends are: quaisoir, lawypop, stonerfairy, awesomesther, and eicalette. Me, lawypop and quaisoir even traveled together to Ipoh in Perak, Malaysia to meet ripsta and eastmoe. I initiated this Lomo meet-up and I’m glad I did! We had a memorable two days spent on LomoWalks, food trips, and fun conversations.

Do you think you’ll still be taking Lomographs in the next 5 years? Why?

Definitely! Being a visual person, I can’t imagine myself quitting film photography. Lomography is already part of my life, and I’d like to continue that. I am so lucky because I come from a country where the cost of film photography is still relatively cheap. Hopefully, it stays that way in the next 5 years or so, so I can continue taking more photos without spending too much.

It’s a battle between the LOMO LC-A+ and the Holga when it comes to his favourite film camera.

What is your favorite Lomo camera and why? Do you have any memorable experiences while using this camera?

It’s a toss between the LC-A+ and the Holga. I often use LC-A+ during my travels because it’s easier to carry and I can shoot indoors with it, too. However, I adore my beloved Holga because of a sentimental reason: it is the first camera I bought. The first roll getting developed from it was also the reason why I got hooked on Lomography. I even wrote a poetry about my Holgaga here.

Please share your most favourite Lomographic photo that you took and explain why.

This is my most favourite Lomographic photo. I really like the element of magic in it. It’s a shot that wasn’t planned at all; it just happened. It’s amazing how one swift click on the shutter can freeze a moment like that forever. There are many layers to it and possible interpretations are endless, which make it even more interesting. What happens next is for your imagination. Check out my blog entry about it: ==Flying High & Freezing The Moment: My Best Photo of 2011=="

To say this Lomograph by atria007 is spectacular is an understatement. The contrast, movement, and composition are perfection. It’s a cathartic photo that makes you feel good (or better) about the world by just looking at it. It has more than a thousand likes and definitely deserves a million more!

What’s the best Lomographic or photography advice you think you have given?

Do the “human tripod” when necessary. How? Simple. If you’re shooting at night and don’t have a tripod, just place the camera on top of your head, stand still, and shoot! Voila! You won’t get a blurry shot! I do this simple trick all the time and it never fails me.

If there’s one song or movie that best describes your Lomo life, what is that and why?

I’m a big fan of Michel Gondry and Bjork. They have collaborated several times, and my ultimate favourite is Hyperballad. The song is basically about “letting go” which perfectly captures the feeling whenever I take Lomographs. I let go and leave my worries and expectations behind! The entire music video was also shot on a single, long roll of film and the colorful effects were achieved through multiple exposures. It’s a photographic genius!

Is there any advice you can give to new analogue shooters?

Be a trigger happy shooter and don’t ever be afraid to commit mistakes. Be guided by Lomo Rule #10: “Don’t worry about any rules.” Capture all the memories as they happen without you having to worry about a thing. You have nothing to lose, so have fun!

Some of antibiotyx’s most popular Lomographs as seen in his LomoHome.

Do you think you’re qualified as a LomoGuru? Got something to share in our Community? Then drop me a line at mayee.gonzales@lomography.com and you might become the next LomoGuru!

Hi there @antibiotyx! thanks for including me in the list of Lomographers that you would like personally meet in the future. You and I met before when you were in Madrid, but @atria always introduces me lomographers while I am working, so I never can talk too much with all of you :(
I hope you enjoyed in Madrid.
Cheers!

@novakmisi we'll have an excursion during the summer school to subotica next month. i'll let you know about the date soon.
@imnotgic really!? yeah right! haha.
@gendis@castiana thanks guys!
@eva_eva i would love to meet you too someday.
@quaisoir thanks dear. come to europe and let's travel together. :)
@warning oh, that's you in the lomo store!? shame, i was totally clueless and you were also busy when we came. i did enjoy madrid and i'm surely coming back! hope to meet you (again), next time outside your work space. :)

thanks for putting me on your list of people to meet! i've always admired your work!!! i haven't been very involved in the online lomo community for the past few months, so this was a pleasant surprise :)

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